Taintd
by iCapybara
Summary: When a meteor showers leaves the Pokemon World in a post-apocalyptic setting, the reigning champion of Johto / Kanto begins a quest for safety for herself and her bodyguards. With zombie pokemon, beginning to attack the growing group, she realizes she must figure out the cause of this phenomena, before the whole population is affected.(Rated for future gore, romance, and language.)
1. Taintd Prologue

_Everyone in the Pokémon world knows about the main regions like, Kanto, Johto, Sinnoh, Hoenn, and Unova.. A lot of people might know the other regions like Orre, Almia, Fiore and even Oblivia. Of course, just because these are the major regions doesn't mean they're the only regions, right? There is a small.. I wouldn't say a region… but perhaps a small community. It's just beyond Mount Silver and the Indigo Plateau in the Johto and Kanto regions. It's pretty much right in the middle of the two regions, and it's a very quaint little place. The only way you can really get to the valley, where this community is located, is either by flying with a bird Pokémon, or hiking up Mount Silver one way, then down the other. It's a dangerous hike though, to say the least._

_Most people think the community, known as Starlight Valley, is just a rumor and nothing more. Others tell stories that bad children are taken there on Driftblim and Driftloon, or that members of Team Rocket, Galactic, etc. are taken there to be dealt with by the International Police force._

_The citizens of Starlight Valley dismiss these rumors on their rare visits to the other regions to see relatives or attend business. The girls and women just giggle and wave their hands at the rumors. The boys and men chalk it up for the children and say that the rumors are true, while they tell their parents only half of it is true. _

_The mayor of the valley rarely leaves, but he's a rather social man, with almost eleven brothers and two sisters. He received an Xtransceiver from one of his friends for his birthday a few years ago and often contacts different famous Pokémon rangers, elite four members and asks them to come to the valley for their monthly celebrations as their special guests. Sometimes the men and women come, other times they're too busy but let a friend of theirs fill in for them. _

_This month's celebration was promised to be especially great for Starlight Valley. The mayor was going to have Chessebelle Blair attending December's festivities as their special guest speaker. Chessebelle Blair was the reigning Johto and Kanto champion and was now a member of the International Police Force. She had helped Looker with several cases since she became part of the force. Of course, most people didn't realize this because of her name; she's usually called Rouge, her undercover name. It is just a formality to keep her full name concealed; it's kind of hard to keep a secret identity when people already know you're the champion. The police agent figured with such a small community, it wouldn't matter if her name got out, so she was just going as Chessebelle. Even if there were 'bad people' at the festival, they wouldn't have her full name, so she figured it was an acceptable situation..._


	2. You Found Me

Chessebelle sighed, glancing down at her cell phone, checking the time for the twelfth time that evening. Two curly auburn strands of hair framing her face on either side, the International Police Force agent looked up at the velvet curtain in front of her, putting her cell phone gingerly into her clutch purse. To her right was a bald man, two odd red markings at the corner of his eyes, as if he was wearing makeup. To her left was a man with shoulder-length black hair, odd feather protrusions on his right eyelashes, which sparkled softly in the moonlight. The two men were both dressed in simple black suits, the one on the right having a deep pink tie, while the one in the left adorned a light purple tie.

Chessebelle smiled a little, chuckling softly at how different the two were, but shook her head looking forward with a small smile on her face, watching as the velvet curtain suddenly separated, revealing Chessebelle and the two men. The red-head's sea green gown glittered softly in the festival lights, the mermaid tail design accentuating her large hips, while the sleeveless design made her small chest stand out a bit more. She smiled out at the people who cheered at her appearance, her jade hues twinkling like her gown, before she stepped forward, her heels clicking softly beneath the fabric as she walked to the middle of the stage, a podium with a man at the head of it. The man had blue hair, the front pushed back and the rest down to his mid-back, his amber eyes locked on Chessebelle, his smile gone and replaced with a look of awe at the sight of her.

"Thank you, Mayor Anatoli. I can take it from here." Chessebelle whispered to the man once she was at the podium. The man swallowed and nodded, giving a goofy smile before stepping back, taking a seat at one of the three chairs at the side of the podium. The two men in suits took a seat with the mayor. The bald man gave a glare at the mayor, while the other male seemed to be enjoying the spotlight and attention around him. Chessebelle waved gracefully at the crowd, before slowly getting their cheering to stop.

"What another lovely year for Starlight Valley! In only 2 hours, it will be 2012, and the meteor shower forecasted will start! Thank Jirachi that he gave us the luck to have that beautiful sight, right?" Chessebelle chuckled softly, as well as the crowd, some whistling in agreement, before she continued with her 'speech.'

"I'm here to celebrate along with you lovely people in your beautiful town. I'm so honored to be here with you guys, and celebrate this month's accomplishments. I heard that Ms. Betty Merle graduated valedictorian in her Pokémon breeding class! I wish I had gotten that good of grades when I was in school, haha. I was also informed that Mr. Erich Burro proposed to Eileen Newport! I might just return for their fall wedding; if I get an invitation, of course." Chessebelle smiled as she named off a few more accomplishments of that year, most of the citizens surprised that she had been informed of so many events. Most of the guest speakers didn't know what they were talking about, so they figured she'd have a bad speech prepared. Chessebelle had actually been early coming out here, so she plenty of time to acquaint herself with the locals, and had prepared her speech very meticulously.

Once the red-head had finished, she added, "Let the festivities begin! Remember, the clock-tower has the countdown for the meteor shower! Moms and dads let your kiddies stay up and see the meteors of a millennium!" The crowd cheered loudly before dispersing in all kinds of directions. Chessebelle smiled as the lights on the stage dimmed slightly, the lights around the town brightening so people could navigate through the crowds easier. She turned, looking at the two men in suits.

"Ikkaku, Yumichika. You can do as you please. I'm sure Kenpachi and Yachiru are around here somewhere. Knowing Yachiru, she probably dragged him to the cotton candy stand." The two men stood up from their seats, Ikkaku, the bald man, glowered at the mayor once more before smirking a little at Chessebelle. "Well, I think I'll stick along with you, if you don't mind, miss B." Ikkaku winked, the red-head smiled happily at her bodyguards response and nodded before turning to the black-haired man. "What about you, Yumi?" Chessebelle questioned, the man giving a shrug. "I'll look for sensei and the pink-haired devil."

The red-head smiled and watched Yumichika saunter off in his usual girlish strides, before turning as a hand landed on her shoulder, giving her goose bumps. She looked up at the blue haired mayor and growled under her breath as she shrugged his hand off before looking towards Ikkaku, who nodded understandingly. "Saix, I shall be enjoying the festivities now. Please don't bother me unless it's of business matters." Chessebelle turned her nose at the mayor, who stood with his mouth slightly ajar. Ikkaku smirked as he 'accidentally' bumped him with his shoulder, following after Chessebelle loyally. "I... Thank you for coming, Chessebelle.." The mayor murmured, biting the inside of his cheek as he turned, putting his hands into his pockets, his navy blue suit matching well with his hair as he sauntered off the stage and towards one of the many picnic tables spread around the town square. Chessebelle's head turned slightly over her shoulder, hearing the mayor's comment, before nodding and whispering, "You're welcome, Saix."

"Well, what shall I win you first, miss B?" Ikkaku questioned with a cocky smirk on his face as he checked out the game booths, looking at the prizes as if they were pieces of meat, trying to find the best one out of the batch. Chessebelle rolled her eyes at her guard's attitude but something caught her eye and made her stop in her tracks, a woman and child behind her almost running into her. After apologizing to the couple, Chessebelle tugged on Ikkaku's sleeve, pulling him back to her, and pointed at the large stuffed Pokémon plush she wanted. Ikkaku looked at it with wide eyes.

The whole top row of prizes were of stuffed Pokémon plushes, two times the size of Ikkaku, and he was considered a bit larger than the average man with pure muscles. If they were two times the size of Ikkaku, they were at least four times the size of Chessebelle. The one the petite red-head seemed to be fascinated with was the large Honchkrow plush, tipping its hat-like feathers and winking cheerily. "If you want to impress me, win me that, Ikkaku." Chessebelle grinned at Ikkaku, who looked at her and back at the plush before giving a sigh and walking Chessebelle over to the stand. It turned out to be a test of strength; if you were able to get the weight off of the large 'strength meter', then you could pick any of the top row prizes, or any prize at all, for that matter. Only two people had won the top prizes that year; the mayor and his brother were the only two, oddly enough. Chessebelle smiled as Ikkaku stretched his arms, taking off his black jacket and handing it to the police agent, who took it and folded it over her arm gingerly.

Ikkaku picked up the large hammer, a crowd gathering around Ikkaku as he swung it carefully, getting used to the weight of it as Machoke and Machamps flexed their own muscles to entertain the crowd while Ikkaku got ready. After two or three minutes of this, Chessebelle smiled, watching excitedly as Ikkaku slung the hammer over his shoulder before bringing it down with as much force as he could muster, watching the weight reach the top of the large meter, ringing the bell before breaking it slightly. Although, the weight didn't reach the goal you needed for the top prize. How stingy.

Anyone could see the disappointment on Chessebelle's face, but she couldn't help but chuckle as Ikkaku turned around and muttered curses under his breath, giving a puppy dog look at Chessebelle. She smiled and held out his jacket as the crowd cheered happily, still amazed by the show of strength Ikkaku displayed. The 'manager' of the stand was happy to let Ikkaku choose one of the second row prizes that were still large, still at least twice the size of Chessebelle. Ikkaku glanced down at the woman he was supposed to protect twenty-four/seven and looked at her searching eyes as they finally stopped on one of the prizes. It was a Raichu attached to a Pikachu, twirling it, as if they were dancing together. "I'd like that one, sir." Ikkaku said politely, smiling at the man whose puffy red cheeks seemed to raise a bit more as he reached up on his tiptoes and picked the prize up, handing it to Ikkaku, who turned to Chessebelle and showed it to her.

Chessebelle's face brightened tenfold as she hugged the large Raichu and Pikachu plush, practically concealing her whole body because of how large it was compared to her. Ikkaku laughed and took the plush, placing it under his arm, responding to her pout with a simple explanation. "Well, I don't want you to trip and run into people because you can't see over the Raichu's head." She smiled a little before nodding happily in response to Ikkaku's reasoning, putting her hands behind her back, her clutch purse still in her hands as she walked along the town square's cobblestone walkways. "So, Ikkaku, what did you do for Christmas? Went to see family?" Chessebelle asked, glancing out of the corner of her eye at the bald man, who smirked a little, letting out a small chuckle. "Oh, you flatter me, Miss B. I don't usually see family but my dear old mom had made Christmas dinner for me and Yumichika. I invited Kenpachi and Yachiru, but they said they were going to celebrate the holiday together with some more training."

Chessebelle nodded as she listened to Ikkaku, before he looked at her expectantly, not even needing to ask back. "Well, I didn't think mom wanted me at the house because she wanted to celebrate with Michii and Maki. Dad was out sailing with some of his buddies, but he said he'd be at Vermilion port for a few hours if I wanted to see him. I went with him on the boat for a few stops and went to see mom and spent the night there with my lovely brothers. I handed out presents to each of my Pokémon, hit the hay, then went back to work on Monday." Chessebelle nodded happily, feeling confident in her answer before looking at Ikkaku once more. The bald man glanced down at her and smiled; she returned the smile before turning around and walking backwards for a moment, looking at the clock tower in the town square. "One more hour until 2012, Kaku." Chessebelle purred as she turned back around, using her personal nickname for her bodyguard.

The bald man seemed a bit annoyed but brushed it off, readjusting the Raichu and Pikachu plush under his arm before glancing ahead. "Well, Miss B, what game now?" Ikkaku questioned, smirking a little. "I say we go up against each other in a lovely shooting game." Chessebelle purred to Ikkaku, leaning against him playfully before skipping on ahead and through the crowd.

Ikkaku watched his employer skip through the crowd gracefully. 'Oh, Miss B, you're so... God dammit, why'd I have to take this stupid job with Yumichika and Kenpachi.. It would've been so much easier if we had just taken that job at the dojo...' The bald man thought as he glanced down at the plush in his hands. 'Now I'm wrapped around her finger like a lost puppy. Whether they know it or not, so are Kenpachi, Yachiru and Yumichika.. Of course, not in the way I am, but they're both still so... gravitated towards her, like she's their number one priority...' Ikkaku continued his thoughts before he heard Chessebelle's voice through the crowd. Apparently he not only had his eyes trained on her, but her voice as well; he seemed rather good at his job, huh? He wasn't sure what was going on, but Chessebelle seemed to be getting into a fight with another girl for… stepping on her dress? Oh, dear God.

Ikkaku quickly moved through the crowd, finding Chessebelle with an apologetic look on her face as a bleach blonde woman, with an obviously fake chest, seemed unstoppable as she screeched her anger at the red-head. A large man was standing behind her, looking down on the two women as if this was something he dealt with on a daily basis, but seemed to perk up when he saw Ikkaku. Ikkaku looked at Chessebelle, who was getting more upset with the woman as she screamed at her, and suddenly started to retaliate with a few choice words of her own. The bodyguard sighed, pushing Chessebelle back gently and handing her the Raichu and Pikachu plush, making her growl a bit before peeking her head around the large man, sticking her tongue out at the bleach blonde. She hissed and went to lunge at Chess, but was stopped by her own date, who practically got into Ikkaku's face, looking down on him slightly because of himself being only an inch or two taller. The two men seemed to stare each other down for what felt like eternity, as the crowd around the four started to clear, forming a bigger circle around them.

"Why don't you control your woman, cue ball?" The man growled in Ikkaku's face, making his eye twitch in anger at the nickname. He smirked darkly and gave his own snarky retort, "I could ask you the same thing; and while you're at it, why not go get her some ass implants. It seems her chest has had enough under the dissecting table." Chessebelle couldn't help but snicker behind Ikkaku at his remark, the blonde gasping in disgust before growling and taking her date's arm, making him lean down as she whispered something in his ear. He seemed to mull it over for a moment in his head before looking at Chessebelle and Ikkaku, smirking and telling them the couple's brilliant idea. "Blondie says she wants a Pokémon battle with this bimbo of a champion. You two up for it?"

Ikkaku and Chessebelle started to laugh in their faces, stopping after a minute or two when they realized they were being serious. "Pfft. Let's go, bitch. Follow me." Chessebelle said with a smirk, linking her arm with Ikkaku's and pulling him and their 'company' towards the center of the Town Square.

In only a few minutes, there was a battlefield cleared and a referee to judge the battle, Chessebelle and Ikkaku on the right side and the two public nuisances on the left. Chessebelle set her plush down next to her, smiling at it happily, before glancing at Ikkaku. "You know who you're using?" She questioned and was met with only a deep chuckle from her partner. The red-head had a hunch she knew what Pokémon he was going to use and smiled, nodding, before the referee told the Blonde and her date to call out their Pokémon. The woman threw out an ultra-ball, her boobs almost falling out of her dress in the process, and an Alakazam formed from the light, the woman giving a smug smirk. "Oh this is going to be too easy." Chessebelle snickered, before watching her date throw out a regular pokeball, the light forming into an oddly colored Braviary, sparkles forming around it before dissipating into the night air. Many 'ooh's and 'ahh's went through the crowd as the Braviary seemed to know that he was special, standing with his chest out as he folded his wings against his body.

Chessebelle glanced at Ikkaku, who simply rolled his eyes in distaste before throwing his own pokeball, a red light coming from it and forming into a Scrafty, who punched and kicked at the air energetically. "Well, Ezekial is rather hyper today." Chessebelle noted with a small smirk, chuckling at Ikkaku's response as she threw out her dusk ball. "His name is not Ezekial! It's Zeke!" Chessebelle rolled her eyes with a smirk but watched as her Pokémon spread its wings, giving out his usual gruff call, _'Honchkrow!'_

"Alright, let's start this thing off with a Night Slash, Don." Chessebelle commanded, the Honchkrow nodding at his trainer's command, puffing out his chest before flapping his wings and catching the air, flying up high and preparing his attack. His eyes began to glow a deep red, before his wings were enveloped in the same ruby color. The two Pokémon on the other side of the large playing field seemed to scoff at the attack, simply waiting for Chessebelle's turn to be over. Don seemed to growl as he noticed the Pokémon's reactions to his attack and his anger was being pushed more into the attack, his wings glowing more and his eyes beaming with the ruby color. He suddenly dived towards the Alakazam, who tried to dodge it but was still slashed in the side with Don's left-wing, before he circled back around to his spot on the playing field and hopped about, trying to act intimidating.

The Alakazam reached towards his arm and wiped his fingers across the wound, as if something was bothering him besides the pain. "Eli! What are you doing! I told you to use psychic on the ugly thing on that side!" His trainer shouted, making him turn slightly, looking over his shoulder at the girl before his eyes glowed a light blue, as if he was about to use psychic. He turned back towards the fight and used psychic, the blue energy enveloping both Ezekial and Don, but they seemed to snicker as the attack didn't do anything to them. "C'mon, you'll have to know more about type match-ups if you plan on beating us." Chessebelle teased, watching the Blonde get frustrated and blame her date. "Colonel, use brave bird on the weirder looking one!" The woman's date called, Don glancing at Ezekial and snickering, as if knowing that the trainer meant him. The Scrafty grumbled and hopped about in anger, kicking and punching at the air as he watched the oddly colored Braviary fly quickly up into the air, dissipating into the night sky. The Scrafty bounced around continuously, as if he could confuse the bird, and watched the sky, squinting to try to see the Pokémon.

"Zeke, keep watching the sky.." Ikkaku ushered on before Chessebelle glanced up, a spark catching her eye. "Behind you!" Chessebelle warned, although by the time Ikkaku and Ezekial had managed to find where Chessebelle was referring to, the Braviary had rocketed towards the ground and hit the Scrafty, sending him to the other side of the field and practically at Eli's feet. The psychic Pokémon glanced down at the Scrafty and seemed to smirk as the blonde woman ordered her Pokémon to use Focus Blast. Ezekial grunted in pain and could barely hear his trainer's voice telling him to dodge it. Chessebelle gasped in shock and shook her head, yelling at Don quickly. "Quick! Use Night Slash, Don!" Chessebelle clenched her hands into fists and brought them up to her chest in desperation, watching as her partner in crime quickly got into the air, flapping his wings viciously before the ruby color enveloped Don's wings once again before he thrust forward and soared at the Alakazam, hitting it in the abdomen and sending it flying back and rolling past it's trainer. The Pokémon stopped before it hit the crowd watching the fight, grumbling as it stood up, Ezekial doing the same to try to fight once more. The male's Braviary growled in annoyance and glanced at Don, who was hovering in the air beside him, winking in a cocky manner.

"Zeke! Use crunch on the Alakazam!" Ikkaku ordered clenching his own fists before the Scrafty jumped up, as if recovered from his hit, and ran at the Alakazam, pouncing on him as he latched his jaws on to the Alakazam's forearm. Eli let out a screech of pain, flailing his arm to get the Scrafty off of his arm. Zeke seemed to grumble but kept his jaws latched around the Pokémon's arm, until the Alakazam used his other hand to 'backhand' Zeke across the field once again. The Scrafty immediately jumped up, skidding back to his position, the Braviary flying up and fluttering over to the other side of the field. "Hey Baldy! Why not just give up now and let your bitch win this fight?" Ikkaku was aghast at what the man told him and glared at Chessebelle as she snickered to herself, glancing back at Zeke and then at the Braviary.

"Well, maybe that's just a sign that you should stop holding back." Chessebelle suggested, smirking a bit, as she put a hand to her mouth to stifle her giggles. "Guess you're right. People probably are starting to think we're push overs.. Alright, Zeke, go ahead and use head smash. Chessebelle, you should probably use one of your special tricks too. Don't want to disappoint the crowd." Ikkaku advised with a small smirk, looking back at the battlefield as Zeke started to glow with a white aura, closing his eyes in concentration before the Pokémon ran at the Braviary at an alarming rate, making the Scrafty look like a blur of white, orange, and black. The Braviary's eyes widened in shock before he was hit with the impact of the attack, flying back several feet and getting knocked out, his beady eyes closing to signal his defeat. "I suppose you're right, kaku.." Chessebelle seemed to pout before glancing in Eli and the blonde's way, winking playfully as she turned her sea foam hues in Don's direction. "Dark pulse, Don."

The Honchkrow nodded in understanding as the Pokémon flapped his wings; purple, blue, and black circles intertwining before shooting out in a large beam towards the Alakazam. The psychic Pokémon grumbled in irritation when his trainer seemed to give up on him and simply start crying to her boyfriend. Eli was hit with the brute attack and tried to block the ominous circles by crossing his arms in front of him in an x-formation. Once the circles stopped, the psychic Pokémon growled and staggered to stay standing, before it gave a grunt and fell over, closing its own eyes in defeat, much like its partner. Don gave a scoff and turned, holding its head high and raising its tail feathers in a way to say 'I'm better than you', while Zeke jumped around excitedly and ran at Ikkaku full force, tackling him over and hugging him with a bright smile on his face.

Chessebelle chuckled slightly at the sight before crouching down as Don closed in on her, smiling and petting the Pokémon's chest plumage. The Honchkrow gave a soft coo to his trainer and nuzzled his head into her knees affectionately, before moving back and smiling at her. "What a wonderful job, Don." Chessebelle praised with another pat of his plumage before standing up, chuckling as she noticed the other two trainers pout as they recalled their Pokémon and left after hearing the referee announce the obvious winners. Ikkaku, after getting up and brushing his suit off, walked over to Chessebelle, smiling before surprising the red-head and picking her up, spinning her around before bringing her in for a hug. "Ikkaku~ Are you really that excited about the battle?" Chessebelle chuckled as she returned the gesture by wrapping her arms around the larger man as he held her up by hugging her waist and keeping her against him. The red-head nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck happily before leaning back, putting her hands on his shoulders to signal she wanted down, and Ikkaku agreed, gently putting her down. She kept her hands on his shoulders for a moment, their eyes locked on one another, before Zeke and Don's snickering made the two look away. Ikkaku's face flushed for a moment before he regained his usual demeanor and cleared his throat, trotting over to the side of the now disappearing battlefield, going to find Chessebelle's prize from earlier.

Chessebelle smiled as she stayed where she was, watching Don and Zeke playing with one another; or rather Zeke trying to get Don to play as the Honchkrow simply sat there with growing irritation. The red-head sighed happily as she glanced up at large town square's clock tower, which read eleven forty-five. "Oh… Ikkaku, we have to go find Kenpachi and Yumichika.. Yachiru will be with them… Ikkaku?" Chessebelle suddenly questioned, turning in a circle as she tried to find the bald man, figuring he would've been back by now. Her eyes finally caught glimpse of the man, his back to her. He was talking to someone apparently. She glanced down at Don and Zeke before giving an apologetic smile as she recalled Don, gesturing for Zeke to come with her.

Ikkaku had just gotten Chessebelle's prize plush, when someone had caught his arm. The bald man turned, a slightly irritated face meeting the unknown. "Well hey there baldy, hips already got you carrying her prizes? What's next, her purse?" A high pitched voice made Ikkaku's eyebrow twitch in anger, already realizing the voice belonged to one of his fellow bodyguards. "Yachiru.. Great to see you… and Sensei." Ikkaku greeted Yachiru with a less than enthusiastic voice, before his whole demeanor seemed to change, bowing low to the large man in front of him with the tiny girl on his back. "Mm.. Where is she?" The man asked, looking over Ikkaku's bowed head to try and find their boss.

"Kenpachi! Ooh, Zaraki-sama, you look great tonight!" Chessebelle's voice stood out from the crowd, but she sounded far away, so once the red-head appeared from behind Kenpachi and attached her to his arm, the man looked down with slightly wide eyes. "Geez, wanna be any louder?" Ikkaku said with a roll of his eyes as he readjusted Chessebelle's prize in his arms. "Don't be jealous~ you look nice too, but Kenpachi just looks so different. I never get to see him in a suit~" Chessebelle gushed as she winked at Ikkaku before looking up at Kenpachi with wide eyes, smiling brightly.

While what she said might've been true for her, most of the people in Starlight Valley saw Kenpachi and ran no matter what he was wearing. The large man was at least six foot, seven inches, and had long black hair that reached his mid chest at least, but was pushed back for tonight. He had a long scar on the left side of his face, which was literally from his forehead down to his chin. He also wore a simple black eye patch on his right eye, outlined in a gold color. His eye was a very dark green hue, which could only be seen in the right light. Most people just assume he has pitch black eyes. Kenpachi had very pronounced cheekbones as well, which looked even more pronounced in the lights from the festivals. Like Yumichika and Ikkaku, Kenpachi was wearing a simple black suit with a deep purple tie which actually looked rather charming, in Chessebelle's mind anyways.

Ikkaku flushed at Chessebelle's comment, which Yachiru noticed, much to Ikkaku's dismay. "Ooh~ you are jealous, pachinko-head!" Yachiru squealed in delight, jumping off Kenpachi's shoulder gracefully, a bright smile on her face as her perpetual blush seemed to grow.

Yachiru was practically the complete opposite of her adoptive father; wide innocent eyes colored deep pink, light pink hair that was parted in the middle with two strands framing her face on either side, only reaching the size of 4'9" and always wore a cute smile accompanied by a little pink blush. Tonight Yachiru was wearing a red dress with white polka dots that went to her knees and had little white ruffles at the end of the dress. The pink-haired girl continued to smile as she skipped to Ikkaku's side and pulled Chessebelle's Raichu and Pikachu plush away from him, looking up at the bald man's blush. "Don't be embarrassed~ It's not like Chess-y doesn't know already~" Yachiru continued to tease the man, Chessebelle too preoccupied by harassing the larger male about his looks for the festival tonight.

While what she said wasn't false, Chessebelle never really realized just how much Ikkaku liked her. It was cute that he liked her, she always thought, but she never thought it was more than a puppy love thing, and he'd most likely grow out of it. Chessebelle had hired Ikkaku and his friends around seven years ago, eight when April comes around. The red-head never really understood why the bald man liked her, and she might never understand it, but that's the mystery of love, is it not?

Ikkaku shook his head and snatched the prize away from Yachiru, giving her a glare, which she returned with a smirk. You could practically cut the tension with a knife. Chessebelle shook her head and let go of Kenpachi's arm, the man blinking and glancing down at her as she left his side but otherwise acting indifferent to the whole situation. "Come on kaku~ Stop fighting. Let's go find Yu-" "Don't have to, he's over there." Chessebelle had started, hooking her arm with Ikkaku's, before the man cut her off and jerked his head in the direction of a face paint booth. Chessebelle knew Ikkaku and Yumichika had an uncharacteristically close relationship, but the fact he could pick him out of a crowd of more than 500 people? Well, damn.

The red-head simply chuckled but glanced at Kenpachi and Yachiru, the latter reclaiming her perch on the former's back. "How 'bout you two go get Yumichika and meet us at.." Chessebelle searched the town, standing on her tiptoes to try and find a good spot. "Why not over there?" Yachiru suggested with a smile, pointing towards an isolated hill on the outskirts of the town, one tree on it to provide shade during the Summer afternoons. "Sure, Yachiru~ Meet us there, Kenny." Chessebelle purred, starting to walk towards the specified area, dragging Ikkaku along by his arm. Kenpachi nodded and gave a small grunt in response, turning from his boss and student, walking towards the booth Yumichika was supposedly visiting. "Oh! What about Zeke?" Chessebelle suddenly questioned, aforementioned Scrafty bumping into her legs clumsily, apparently following the two unseen. "Hey buddy.. C'mon, you deserve a good rest after that battle." Ikkaku praised with a smile, before pulling a pokeball out of his suit, recalling his Pokémon. He smiled sheepishly at Chessebelle as she reminded him of his pokemon, before questioning where her own was. "I had recalled him before joining you and Kenny... I almost forgot about Zeke myself, but in any case it's resolved now. Shall we?" Chessebelle purred again, holding out her arm for Ikkaku to take, which he graciously accepted and the two started off for the hill.

"Chessebelle?

"Yea, kaku?"

"Why did you date him?"

Chessebelle looked at Ikkaku in surprise at his question as the two started to climb the low hill to the top, only taking a few minutes for them to reach it after pushing through the crowds of people. The bald man stared ahead, not acknowledging Chessebelle's look. The red-head looked down at her dress as she walked up the hill with Ikkaku, holding onto his hand for support. "Who?" Chessebelle said, hoping Ikkaku would leave it if she acted like she didn't know what he was talking about. Ikkaku glanced at her but shook his head and she could feel his grip on her hand loosen slightly as he replied, "Never mind, Chess." Chessebelle bit her lip guiltily but she tightened her hold on Ikkaku's hand, the two reaching the top after a few more moments of awkward silence. The red-head glanced at Ikkaku, but he was staring at the moon and his hand slowly fell from Chessebelle's, not even acknowledging the slight hurt in her eyes from the simple gesture.

The two stood in silence for a few more moment before Chessebelle turned and looked at the only tree on the hill, smiling at it for a moment before a look of indifference returned to her face, walking towards it and sitting at the base of it. She sat with her legs straight out, too lazy to sit like a proper lady, and laid her head back on the smooth trunk, closing her eyes in relaxation. In what felt like minutes, someone was shaking Chessebelle's shoulders to get her up.

"Whattttt?" Chessebelle whined, opening her eyes and rubbing them a bit, screwing up her eyeliner. "The meteor shower is starting, Chessebelle." Ikkaku seemed to whisper in her ear, making her shudder slightly as she turned to look at him with a slightly arched brow, his hot breath on her ear waking her up fully now. "Well hey, I could've let you sleep through this special event." Ikkaku said in a frustrated tone, giving a huff as he lay back on the trunk as well, watching the sky as streaks of light started to fly across the sky at different intervals and the such. "No, no, that's not it… Just… Nothing." Chessebelle smiled in a flustered fashion, before moving closer to the bald man and laying her head on his shoulder, nuzzling up to him affectionately. Ikkaku tensed slightly before letting himself relax through his sheer force of will.

Chessebelle, now being fully awake, realized they weren't the only two up here now. Kenpachi was sitting at the edge of the hill with Yachiru, who was pointing up at the sky excitedly, while he was simply giving grunts of acknowledgement. Yumichika was hiding behind the other side of Ikkaku apparently; Chessebelle assumed, anyways, since she couldn't see Yumichika but she cold hear him faintly. A few random civilians were up in the special spot, adoring the sky as it twinkled with the stars and meteors. The red-head glanced up to look at Ikkaku, who looked down at her with an arched brow, as if to ask what she was thinking. She just smiled and shook her head dismissively, laying her head back down on his shoulder comfortably as she watched the sky with her own sea foam hues sparkling in adoration.

The meteor shower was a spectacular event and lasted at least half an hour, many of the meteors lighting up the whole night along with the stars. The moon only added to the beauty of the scenery and event. By the time the night's event was over, Chessebelle was practically asleep on Ikkaku's shoulder, her eyes struggling to stay awake to see the ending of the meteor shower. The random civilians were all gone, leaving only Chessebelle and her bodyguards on the silent hill _(haha)_. Chessebelle, once again, being half-asleep, Ikkaku figured she'd just want to go home. "I'll take her home; you guys can go to the guest house. I'll take the guest room in her house." Ikkaku instructed, Yumichika giving a slight scoff at his plan before turning to leave with Kenpachi and Yachiru, the ladder also asleep on the former's shoulders. Before he left though, he bent down to Ikkaku's eye level, giving him a once over before saying in his usual gruff voice, "There is a storm supposed to come tonight.. You know how she gets. She'll sleep right through it, hopefully. Just in case, don't try anything funny with her while you're there, unless you want me to disown you, disrespect you, and above all else, kill you."

Ikkaku widened his eyes at Kenpachi's protective notions before nodding respectfully and bowing his head the best he could in his sitting position. Kenpachi simply nodded and left with Yumichika, who was waiting for him at the bottom of the hill rather impatiently. "Damn.. Does he think you're a rapist?" Chessebelle asked in a drowsy tone, smirking despite keeping her eyes closed. Ikkaku shook his head and chuckled with Chessebelle before standing up, making sure to let Chessebelle stay upright on the trunk. "C'mon, Bee, let's get you home." Ikkaku ushered, leaning down and holding out a hand for her. The girl opened one sleepy eye before smiling and closing it, raising her arms instead, in the gesture of 'carry me.' The bald man gave an exasperated sigh but moved to Chessebelle's side, leaning down and scooping her up bridal style, her mermaid tail-dress flowing down the side of his arm. Chessebelle smiled when she got her way, putting her arms around the man's shoulders and nuzzling her head into the crook of his neck, making him flush bright red and tense up as he started down the hill. After walking about ten minutes he finally relaxed, noticing Chessebelle's breathing slowed a bit, apparently falling asleep again.

Only twenty minutes later, Ikkaku had walked across the town, some of the drunks of the valley greeting him groggily, and was on the porch of Chessebelle's make-shift house. When Mayor Anatoli had first invited Chessebelle to do the monthly celebration for December in Starlight Valley, he had to ask multiple people to pull strings and let her stay longer than the celebration. He had to ask her chief, Soi-Fon Abeille, if she could add another week or two to her vacation time so she could come down. He had to call her partner, Hiyori Sarugaki, to make sure they had a substitute to keep in her place while she was gone. He even had to call the police's unit chief, Kensei Muguruma, to inform him of her absence. Let me tell you, he was not happy about it at all, but nonetheless, obliged after thirty minutes of yelling at the poor mayor. While he had done this, his secretary, a young boy named Lenzo, had made arrangements for Chessebelle to live, along with her company.

Anyways, Ikkaku tried the door and cursed under his breath when it didn't move an inch. "Key.. Where are you.." He murmured as he readjusted Chessebelle in his arms, looking around the porch for anywhere the key could be. The bald man finally found it after he kicked over a flower pot that he hadn't noticed at first. "Eh.. I'll clean it up later." He shrugged as he crouched down, using his knee to hold Chessebelle's, before grabbing the key and lifting her up once again, the red-head making a soft moan in protest. The bald man glanced at her but was relieved to see she was still asleep. He went ahead and unlocked the door, opening it before kicking it open gently with his foot, finding the light switch and turning it on.

The house wasn't extravagant, but it was very similar to a nice-sized vacation cabin. As soon as you walk in there were two sets of stairs, one going up, and the other going down. If you walked down the stairs, there was a bathroom, literally, right in front of you, and to the right was a small hallway that had two doors to the right and one to the left, the latter being the guest bedroom. If you went to the left, you'd be in a large living room, with a small hall leading to a laundry room to the right, as well as a back door. On the other hand, if you walked up the stairs, to your right would be another smaller living room which leads into a small dining room, which would also be connected to the kitchen. A sliding glass door was in the dining room, leading out to a large porch wrapping around the house.. If you walked to the left, there would be an opening for the kitchen to your right, and four doors down a hall along with a small pantry next to the kitchen opening. The master bedroom was the last door on the right, which had a small bathroom built into it already. The other three doors included another bathroom, and two bedrooms. It was all completely furnished and very nicely decorated, and had a warm feel to it.

Ikkaku glanced at the small landing he was on and the tennis shoes Chessebelle usually wore in the corner neatly put together. He kicked his shoes off and pushed them next to her's, before closing and locking the door, putting the key on a shelf next to the door, slowly walking up the stairs and moving into the small living room, putting Chessebelle on the leather loveseat and sitting down himself with a sigh of relief. He leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees and putting his eyes into his palm, rubbing them softly before sighing again and putting his hands together and putting his chin on them, staring at the other two recliners in the room.

"Perrrrr~sian."

The Pokémon call pulled Ikkaku out of his daze, looking down at the Persian that was sitting in front of him, his tail swaying back and forth and uncurling before curling backup just as it swayed to the opposite side. "Well hey, Luppi." Ikkaku greeted, getting up from the couch and going to pet the feline on the head. Luppi, the Persian, seemed to growl low in his throat and ducked under Ikkaku's hand to avoid getting pet, before taking his seat next to the sleeping Chessebelle, squirming into the space between her legs and the couch, laying his head on her hip. Ikkaku rolled his eyes but continued to walk towards the bathroom, opening the door quietly and closing it the same way, before looking in the mirror. He shook his head slightly and proceeded to undress, pulling a towel out from underneath the sink, before moving to the shower and pulling back the curtain slightly to turn on the shower. He was used to Japanese showers, but he didn't mind how he got clean, as long as it got done. Just as he was getting in the shower he heard a crack of thunder. "Shit.. I've gotta hurry." Ikkaku murmured, knowing Chessebelle's fear of thunder and lightning.

Ikkaku was good to his word and got out of the shower ten minutes later, quickly wrapping the towel around his waist and grabbing his dirty clothes. He opened the door and nearly jumped out of his skin as Luppi sat in front of him, his tail swaying behind him like a pendulum. The Persian seemed to grin eerily before getting up and turning, sauntering into the dark hall and disappearing around the corner that led to the kitchen.

"Jesus Christ that cat is fuckin' scary…" Ikkaku muttered under his breath as he shut off the bathroom light and moved down the hall, stopping at the top of the staircase, noticing Chessebelle still sleeping on the couch soundly, but one arm now off the couch, her clutch purse dropping with a soft thud. The bald man took a glance outside the large window past the couch Chessebelle was on and noticed raindrops slowly started to hit the glass, a flash of lightning illuminating the mini living room. Ikkaku bit the inside of his cheek before dropping his clothes on the top step, making sure his towel was secure, before moving over to Chessebelle, picking her up slowly.

The bodyguard made his way back down the hall to her room, opening the last door on the right, and quietly walked into the room, setting the red-head down on her large bed. He made quick work of her bed, and had her under the covers in a few moments, even taking off her heels and sliding them to the corner of her bedframe, so she wouldn't tear the sheets or be uncomfortable as she slept. Ikkaku sighed softly and began to walk out of the room, before he looked over his shoulder at the woman he often dreamt about. She looked peaceful, despite her fear practically knocking at the window. It was one of the good things about her; she was a heavy sleeper.

"Goodnight, Chessebelle." The only other sound was Ikkaku's footsteps making their way back down the hall and to his own room downstairs.


End file.
